The program will support response plans of national governments in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.
With the right amount of funding, WFPThe WHO initiative could have reached 12 million people, but with available resources dwindling, the program’s humanitarian activities have reached fewer people than anticipated.
This comes as malnutrition in West and Central Africa is reaching alarming levels with predictions that 55 million people will face acute hunger during the lean season.
Chris Nikoi, WFP Regional Director for West Africa, said this crisis shows the need for “transformative solutions” to support vulnerable families with food and other needs .
“We need to continue to prioritize emergency response for those who need help the most,” Mr. Nikoi said. “However, we need to invest more in sustainable solutions to help strengthen food security, raise agricultural productivity and household purchasing power at the right time and cushion shocks economics and climate”.
Purpose met
Many people facing severe hunger in West and Central Africa have been left without assistance and are at risk of falling into a worse situation as program funding has not kept pace with today’s crises. increasing in the region.
WFP said this was worrying because the 2024 crop forecast showed weather could disrupt agricultural activity and prolong the next lean season.
“The escalation in humanitarian needs far outstrips available resources,” Mr. Nikoi said. “The only way out of this cycle is to prioritize lasting solutions.”
WFP’s current aid
Currently, WFP says it is supporting “long-term transformational solutions to hunger” and working to improve government systems to strengthen community resilience to shock through social protection and investing in inclusive food systems.
WFP programs have helped restore degraded lands to food and feed production, support children’s education, improve food access and increase incomes across the Sahel, now providing more frequent and varied meals to people in Nigerian villages.
The program said initiatives including “strengthening the purchasing power of poor families with social protection programs that respond promptly to shocks need to be prioritized and expanded as response alone humanitarian response is financially unsustainable and does not address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition.”
